La Aroma de Cuba cigars are distributed by Ashton, and are made in Honduras with a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, and Cuban-seed Honduran wrappers. The Monarch is a Toro sized cigar, which measures six inches in length with a ring gauge of 50.
Flavor
I found La Aroma de Cuba to be a medium bodied cigar, with a flavor that was predominantly bland at the start. However, the flavor did improve as the cigar continued to be smoked, but still ended up somewhat bland at the finish. I was expecting much more from this stick, especially since a cigar in the Edicion Especial line of this same brand was rated the fourth best cigar of 2008 by Cigar Aficionado. Although the La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial No. 5 is a completely different cigar than the Monarch, and is made with a different blend of tobaccos in a different factory, my favorable opinion of Ashton cigars also reinforced my belief that the La Aroma de Cuba Monarch would be a superior smoke. Sometimes, a cigar just doesn't live up to your expectations.
When a cigar doesn't taste as good as expected, I usually smoke at least one more, just to confirm my initial impressions. Although the second Monarch that I smoked was also bland, it did start off better than the first, but then turned bland with a slight hint of bitterness as the smoke continued. Both cigars tasted nearly the same about half-way through, although the first was improving while the second was declining. Consistency is usually more of an issue with cheaper bundled stogies, as opposed to the more premium handmade boxed cigars.
When a cigar doesn't taste as good as expected, I usually smoke at least one more, just to confirm my initial impressions. Although the second Monarch that I smoked was also bland, it did start off better than the first, but then turned bland with a slight hint of bitterness as the smoke continued. Both cigars tasted nearly the same about half-way through, although the first was improving while the second was declining. Consistency is usually more of an issue with cheaper bundled stogies, as opposed to the more premium handmade boxed cigars.
Draw and Construction
Both cigars were well made, and had great draws and even burns. However, one relight was required after the first cigar went out about half-way through the smoke. The second Monarch that I smoked also went out just before the half-way mark. It took me about 50 minutes to smoke each cigar down to two inches remaining.
Value
A box of 25 La Aroma de Cuba Monarch cigars will cost about $105, which works out to just over $4 per stick. When purchased as singles, the price per cigar will be somewhat higher. Therefore, this is an average priced cigar with an average flavor for a handmade cigar. A fair value, but there are certainly better tasting cigars available at even lower prices.
